Hero Archetypes :: Leaders who don’t want Leadership

Alphas are natural leaders in the Hero Archetype sphere. So are Betas, natural fulfillers of the Alpha’s goal who need no guidance.

Beta leaders will let a true Alpha lead the group while he (she) steps back and runs side missions. However, faced with a bad leader, the Beta will mutiny.

Alpha Dog leaders get drunk on the power of leadership: that doesn’t make them leaders.

Two other types of natural leaders will not seek the leadership position in a team. These are the Gammas and the Deltas.

Often called an Explorer, Indiana Jones is actually a Gamma-Destroyer.

the Gamma Hero Archetype: the Leader who Refuses to Lead

The Gamma hero archetype has strong leadership potential but refuses to step into the position, even when a vacancy occurs.

His refusal of leadership does not prevent him from undermining any leader. A natural rebel, he relishes causing a bad leader to fail.

Unless something else drives his loyalty, the Gamma will walk away from a Ruler or Alpha Dog. And he will not look back.

℘ Jung’s Destroyer Archetype is the best match to the Gamma. Without a Destroyer hero archetype, society will fall into complacency and stagnation.

Gamma-Destroyers force any leader to remain forward-thinking since they represent a force for change. After all, as Heraclitus tells us, the only constant is change.

This hero archetype will help us accept that change and propel it into occurring.

Types of Gammas/Destroyers

The classic leader who refuses to lead: Daryl in The Walking Dead

The Gamma-Destroyer~~

Works outside the group as a tangential lone-leader.

Analyzes and questions the direction of the team as well as the leader’s plans.

Forces leaders to remain forward thinking

The Gamma-Nihilist~~

Is the negative form of the Destroyer Hero Archetype.

Pursues the necessary change without considering consequences to the team.

May pursue change merely to cause change, not to bring out improvement.

Works in such isolation that he can be self-destructive.

Inthe Walking Dead tv series, Daryl is the Gamma. He can lead, but he won’t. When he was a little boy, he may have had any leadership tendencies beaten out of him by his violent older brother Murl.

In the first season, he remains loyal to Murl, but the audience can see him inwardly questioning his brother’s plans. Only blood loyalty restrains him.

For the Gamma-Destroyer, only belief in the Alpha and strong ties like blood or love will keep him within any social structure.

Indiana Jones is often classified as the Seeker Archetype because he’s an explorer—but is he? Or is he a Destroyer?

the Delta Hero Archetype~~the Leader who Unifies the Community

Ruled by compassion for all, the Delta hero archetype is a necessary member of any social structure. Looking through other people’s eyes is necessary when planning the future of any society.

However, the Delta can be stymied by that very compassion. Compassion may create an inability to take the necessary merciless steps to root out weeds. Weeds take nourishment from the beneficial plants. Eventually, society’s weeds will choke out the beneficial.

These Delta Heroes with great plans can get nothing done when their Seconds-in-Command are Gamma-Destroyers who have no loyalty to them.

Society will often replace the Delta with a dogmatic Alpha Dog / Ruler. They want someone who can accomplish goals. Then society will protest the lack of compassion displayed by the elected Tyrant Alpha.

The Delta Hero Archetype must constantly ask if s/he is allowing evil to flourish because of kindness and compassion.

In The Village, Elder Walker desires Alice Hunt but will not reach for her because he is honor-bound to his wife.

This is the very question that needed to be asked by Elder Walker in The Village,a film by M. Night Shyamalan. Elder Walker was played by William Hurt in an understated performance that showed his compassion and his difficulty with being in the leadership role.

As Delta Hero, Elder Walker’s angst is clear. He struggles with personal desires that are in conflict with his honor and his position.

Types of Deltas

The positive form of the Delta~

Has great plans that will benefit many in society.

Will resist personal desires and needs to fulfill his leadership role.

Must find a way to temper idealistic compassion with ruthless practicality.

The negative form of the Delta~

Is often characterized as a Wuss.

May fall prey to a martyr complex.

Can become so caught up in plans that s/he ignores the steps necessary to fulfill those plans.

℘The Jungian equivalent of this hero archetype is the Caregiver, which many have re-named Protector/Defender.

As humanity struggles, Dale in the Walking Dead constantly works to keep the survivors humane.

This is Oskar Schindler, motivated by generosity and unselfishness. Community is the caregiving Delta’s primary thought. This is often to his detriment. He will sacrifice himself to the group.

Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird is another example of the caregiving Defender.

In The Walking Dead, RV-owning Dale represents the Delta leader. He truly wanted to protect the group. At one point he argued for someone’s life. The proof was evident that that someone would be detrimental to the group’s survival, yet still Dale argued.

Team Roles

A quick look at these four heroic leaders can be seen through the system of Team Roles.

Team Role

Quick Definition

Positive Form

Negative Form

Jung’s Hero Archetype

Leader

Goal-Setter

Alpha

Alpha Dog

Ruler

Follower

Fulfiller

Beta

Mutineer

Seeker

Advocate

Questioner

Gamma

Nihilist

Destroyer

Unifier

Conflict-Resolver

Delta

Wuss

Protector

Jung has other archetypes that we would want to consider as heroic—yet they aren’t.

Warrior. Creator. Magician. Sage.

And check out this blogger who has over 50 character archetypes to include in your story: http://jillwilliamson.com/teenage-authors/jills-list-of-character-archetypes/

However, as a purist, I’ll stick to Jung’s list.

Next

His Unheroic Heroes will be our next look at Character Archetypes.

And Coming Up is a two-part focus on Strong Women and their archetypal journey.

Oh, those Men :: the Hero Archetype, part 1

“One of the hardest things to do in writing is create characters that readers will care about, that will make themhaveto read on.”

~ Noah Lukeman

In the first two blogs of this year, we introduced the importance of archetype as well as its background. We begin our survey with the all-important Hero Archetype.

Character Archetype is our opportunity to reveal our hero(ine)

in his/her untransformed life.

How do we know who our protagonist is? As writers, the first step in developing protagonists may be basic description and what our character will be and do. Our second step is to determine more deeply how our character will be and do. The how of our Hero Archetype will drive our story.

Carl Jung listed 12 Archetypal Characters, all of whom serve will for developing our various characters in our book. Here’s the list again:

Heroes of all Archetypes in The Walking Dead

Innocent

Orphan

Warrior

Protector (caregiver)

Creator

Destroyer (rebel)

Seeker (explorer)

Lover

Ruler

Sage

Magician

Fool (jester)

Something in us looks for the central lead to be taken by the Warrior or the Rebel or the Seeker. Others are drawn to the Ruler or Protector or Sage. Yet the true hero archetype can be any one of those 12.

I can run a description list for each of these characters. Dry and boooooorrrrrrrinnnnnng.

Let’s try this: The Walking Dead.

Yes, I am suggesting the cult phenomenon zombie TV series and comic book for character development and a complete-r understanding of the hero archetype.

Other films can also give us clarity in understanding hero archetypes.

By the time we enter Season 2 of WDead, the writers have presented four different types of Heroic Men–Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, sometimes in two antithetical forms.

Alpha = the true leader

The Alpha hero archetype is divided into the True Alpha and the Alpha Dog.

Pure Alpha :: Aragorn in The Two Towers and Return of the King

In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn doesn’t truly become an Alpha until The Two Towers. Boromir, from the first book, is a great example of the Alpha Dog.

The Alpha~

Leads through encouragement, example, and explanation.

Helps people understand their job, the goal, and the reason for the goal.

The Alpha Dog~

Is dominant.

Seeks control of any situation.

Is rigid in seeking order from chaos.

Jung’s RULER has traits of the Alpha Dog who drives through intimidation, manipulation, and outright pain (physical, emotional, and intellectual).

In Walking Dead, this is the character of Shane, best friend of the protagonist Rick. Because Shane wants Rick’s wife, he subsumes his Alpha traits to assist Rick.

Beta = the understated leader who doesn’t need to lead

The Beta hero archetype is willing (but not content) to follow a good Alpha, but he will lead a mutiny against an Alpha Dog (Tyrannical Ruler).

This Hero Archetype is divided into the basic Beta and the Yes-Man.

More angst develops from the Beta. He doesn’t necessarily thrive in leadership roles unless no other leader is practicable.

Many British heroes in historical dramas and RomComs are Betas.

Beta British Heroes have more angst-potential.

Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars in the 2008 miniseries Sense & Sensibility is an excellent example of a Beta who leads. He cannot be forced into a role; he will choose duty and responsibility over personal happiness. When leadership and responsibility fall in with his personal desires, then you have a truly happy man.

Darcy (Colin Firth) in Pride and Prejudice is another example of a British Beta hero.

Jung’s SEEKER has elements of the Beta hero.

Independent

Searches for what is better

The Woman between the Two Friends: Beta on the left, Alpha on the Right: Notice the Stances of B and A Reflect their Archetypes

Does not need support from others but often receives it when the goal is inspirational.

In WDead, the protagonist Rick is a Beta. Much of his angst occurs because he recognizes his friend Shane is a better leader, but Shane won’t step up.

Shane won’t risk alienating Rick (or Lori, Rick’s wife). He intuitively understands that Rick will mutiny if he thinks Shane is leading the survivors astray, and his desire for Lori forces him to remain close.

Rick’s additional angst relates to the Jungian’s Seeker’s attempt to find the perfect solution, and the WDead writers have placed him in a situation that has no perfect solution.

Coming Next

Our next blog is Feb. 10 and will discuss the Gamma and the Delta, the two other types of leaders. For WDead fans, this is Daryl (Jung’s Destroyer / Rebel) and Dale (Jung’s Caregiver without the strong Protector element).

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